I'm a notoriously bad reader. To make it worse, I only seem to read
rock-related books. A sad but nonetheless true fate of a former honors
English student. I think I've read just about every bio there is about every
major rock star there was. For some reason, however, it is continually
compelling to me, especially reading about how someone not much different
from myself somehow becomes known the world over for their music, behavior
and personality. A great thing about all our rock heroes is that just about
all of them came from nothing and nowhere. Very few rock stars are "born"
into the business from rocking parents and while most children of rockers
invariably follow their parent's footsteps, very few of them make the same
impact if they can even find their way out of their parent's shadow at all.
No, rock heroes usually start out just like you and me; bored, unpopular,
lacking identity, fiercely intelligent but incredibly lazy. In England, they
were the outcasts of the trade schools and deposited into "Art colleges",
where they found other rejects like themselves and set about conquering the
world; name just about ANY important British group and its even money that
one member if not all spent some time in art school.

So here are some recent rock books I've been digging. I've also found that
these books are like my music; I get stuck on one for months at a time,
reading it and rereading it over and over. Hopefully, you might dig some of
these too.

Get In the Van: On the Road with Black Flag by Henry Rollins 2.13.61

You don't have to like Rollins' writing to enjoy this one. Unlike most of
his work, its specifically autobiographical; the journal entries and other
reminiscences of his six years as the lead singer of Black Flag. You don't
even have to dig Black Flag or hardcore music either. If you are in a band,
however, this just might become your bible. A lot more realism and less
humor than Spinal Tap, Rollins' account works as both an incitement and a
deterrent to anyone who wants to tour DIY-style. It also chronicles a little
of his relatively straight life before hand, when he was an ice cream store
manager making good money and how he chucked it all in, followed his gut and
lived like a dog for six years, enduring physical and mental abuse and
derision while reinventing rock music with his cohorts. I truly find myself
identifying with the desperation he felt, when he first saw the band and
then looked at the emptiness of his life. When I first came across the book,
it was the dedication that made me buy it immediately: "To all the bands who
Know. All the shit that these bastards will put you through. The record
companies who bullshit you, promoters who lie to you, waste your time and rip
you off. The all-night drives that leave you wasted and barely able to think
straight when you have a long set and another all-night drive ahead of you.
Working harder than anyone else you know and still not being able to pay the
rent. Years of watching shitty, fake bands headline over you. The endless
blank hours of waiting. The depression of all the beat down towns crowding
your mind month after month. Few have your courage." Vintage photos care of
Glen E. Friedman, Ed Colver and Noami Peterson round out the collection. Get
In the Van is a must for the self-respective Black Flag fan but universal in
its story-telling to anyone who plays in a band.

etc.

The Secret History of Rock by Roni Sarig Billboard Books

This is one of the coolest books I've ever encountered! The subtitle says it
all: "The Most Influential Bands You've Never Heard". Basically, an
essential book for any fan of music and a long overdue fan letter to a whole
slew of unsung heroes. Each chapter chronicles a different artist or group,
complete with short bio, as well as quotes from today's current indie and
popular rock icons gushing like kids recounting the first time their mind was
blown by said artist. On top of that, the chapters end with a pretty
comprehensive discography complete with summaries and recommendations for
lazy bastards like myself who aren't sure exactly WHICH Wire album is worth
parting green for. Some of the artists chronicled include: Erik Satie,
Philip Glass, Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu, Mission of Burma, the Feelies,
Gang of Four, all of my favorite hardcore bands like DK, Minor Threat and Bad
Brains (glad to see I wasn't wasting my time listening to stupid shit 11
years ago)... even SLINT is in here, for goodness sakes!!! You can find
barely a ripple of Slint on the web; here you can find an entire chapter on
their story (which isn't really much but you wouldn't think there would be
too much to say about a group that broke up only like seven years ago). I
don't feel guilty about using this book as a starting point to make some
adventurous purchases. After all, you have to hear about these people from
somewhere. It was reading a few miniscule but powerfully worded paragraphs
in a U2 bio of all places that sent me to a record store to buy the first
Velvet Underground album many years ago. This book is a great starting point
for anyone eager to seek out original sources or at least try out some truly
adventurous music.

So there you go, rock fans. Just a few good distractions for anyone
interasted in being literate but keeping it somehow related to their rock
obsession or simply looking for something to gander at while sitting on the
ol' crapper. At least you'll now have some interasting replies ready for the
standard question, "Read any good books lately?"